The Phone Series (1/?)
by bitchy brunette
Summary: Creative title, no? Buffy talks to Angel.
1. Default Chapter Title

Buffy glared at the phone. It had rung about 10 times, and didn't look like it was stopping any time soon. Rolling out of bed, she sniffled, and snatched it out of the cradle. "What is it?" She snapped, not very happy to be interrupted in the middle of a bawling session.   
"Angel?" Buffy tried to keep her voice from breaking.   
"No I am not crying." She tried to sound strong, but she didn't exactly come out that way.  
"So what? Now that's over, and she's dumped you, its back to me? You need someone to fall back on, am I right?" Tears slid down Buffy's face, and she tried to keep herself from throwing the phone against the wall, or at least hanging up.  
"I know! I know that you're not like that. It's just, I feel so stupid! All this time, Riley's been with a vampire."   
"Tell me about it. No, it's under control now. He probably had some crazy idea about getting even with me. I just, I feel like I should've known! I told him to go away and never come back. And I just got home, and Mom is sick."  
"No. Something's wrong with her brain. It's like, sometimes, she doesn't even know me! And others, she doesn't remember anything recent. She'll treat Dawn like a visitor! And ask me where Angel is, or tell me something you said to her about me last year! She asked me a minute ago if Principal Snyder was still on my case. I haven't seen him since graduation!"   
"It's not about Riley anymore. It's just I keep thinking that I thought I loved him, and even when I knew I didn't, I still pretended to, so he wouldn't be hurt. And he was letting a vamp feed off him!"   
  
Angel grimaced, remembering when he'd had to do the same to Buffy. "Didn't you notice the marks on him?"  
"I'm sorry, Buffy. I didn't know. Why didn't you call me? I would've come."  
  
Buffy sighed. "With Darla in tow? And then what? You would've pitied me, and we might have had some kind of connection again, only to break it when you left me."  
  
Angel was quiet. What could you say to something like that? "I want to come. You need me right now."  
  
Buffy wiped her tears away with the back of her free hand. "I do."  
"All right. I miss you."   
  
Angel smiled lightly. "I miss you, too. Buffy?"  
  
"What is it?" Buffy's eyes widened a little. "I know." She whispered into the phone.   
"I love you, too."  
  



	2. Default Chapter Title

Buffy ran to the door. It was probably about 2:30 in the morning, but she knew what to expect. Slightly cold, damp air breezed into the living room. Buffy threw her arms around the visitor. "Angel! You came quickly."  
"I told you I was coming, didn't I?" Angel hugged Buffy back uncertainly, and let her lead him into the room.  
Angel stood in the doorway. "Angel? What's wrong?" Buffy squinted at his dark form.   
"You didn't invite me in." Angel's voice seemed different.   
"But..." Slowly, as if she didn't want to, Buffy flipped on the porch light. The flood of artificial light surrounded the dark form.   
Angel's face was hard, and looked inhuman. Buffy gasped, and stepped back. "How did you come back?" Her voice grew unfriendly.   
"That's for me to know. And you-" Angel reached inside the house, grabbing Buffy's arm in a tight grasp.  
"To find out, isn't it?" Buffy didn't have time to scream as the object came into contact with her skull. She was out cold, and Angelus scooped her into his arms, carrying her into the darkness. The door to the Summers' house swung back and forth sullenly, moving with the wind.  
Angelus tossed Buffy rather unceremoniously onto the large bed. He opened a closet and put the bat he'd used to take out the slayer inside, with his suitcase. It was a hard battle. He'd nearly lost to Angel, his weaker counterpart. But finally, he was free again, and he also had the slayer. Angelus knew that Spike wasn't going to be any help this time. He was on his own, but Angelus didn't mind so much anymore.   
"Angel," he said aloud, "I can't wait to hear you scream, begging for the life of this pathetic mortal." Angelus' laugh echoed through the empty mansion.  
  
"Giles, I'm not kidding! She's not at her house. And she would've called me if she was going to visit her dad, or something!" Willow's voice shrieked over the phone.  
"I'm worried! She should be here. Buffy never missed our shopping sprees, ok? Just trust me."  
"Good. You do that. I'll call the others, and we'll be at your place in about half an hour. Thank you!" Willow hung up the pay phone, and put in more money. As she dialed Xander's number, she wondered if she had enough money to call LA and get Cordy up here.  
  
Buffy groaned, and tried to reach her head with her right hand. She shook against the chains tying her to the bed. "Your other hand is free." Angelus walked in, wearing all black, from his sweater to his shoes.   
"Hmm. How nice of you. Why aren't I dead?" Buffy felt the growing lump on the back of her head carefully.  
"I knew that this is the best way to bargain with your little group of vampire slayers. And," Angelus smiled evilly. "It's also the best way to torture Angel."  
"Why torture him? You're in control now." Buffy tried not to feel too helpless. There had to be some way out of this situation.   
"Not for long. He'll take back over in a few hours. I need to make him agree to let me have power over this body forever."  
"Why don't you just take away his soul?" Buffy glared at Angelus in the darkened room. How could the two be so different?  
"He was coming here to tell you, Buffy. But I guess I'll just spill the beans. His soul is permanent. Before he called you last night, he was granted the shanshu. So I have 72 hours to loose it. And believe me, I do plan to use-" Angel's face distorted, and he fell to the ground.   
"Angel?" Buffy shrieked, forgetting momentarily, that this wasn't the souled vampire she was used to.  
"Buffy?" Angel dragged himself to his feet. "What's going on? I remember calling you, and then..." Angel came over to the bed, and took off the chain on Buffy's wrist.   
"Are you all right? What did I do to you?" Angel looked so upset, Buffy tried not to laugh.  
"Nothing. And it wasn't you, remember? Angelus just bashed me in the head last night, and brought me here to reveal his evil plan."  
"What was it?" Angel sat on the edge of the bed.  
"He said he only had 72 hours to try to loose your soul." Angel looked past Buffy, in an effort to hide something.  
"He already told me about your soul. Aren't you happy?" Buffy touched his hand lightly, surprised at its warmth.   
"Sorry I didn't tell you over the phone, it's just I wanted to surprise you." Buffy smiled. "I know. I'm not mad, I just wish that Angelus wasn't out to ruin everything again. Tell me something. If in 72 hours, he doesn't do anything, you're home free?"  
"I guess so. I didn't know anything about my curse leaving or coming back or anything like that. I thought after it was granted, that I'd be human again."  
"Hold it right there, Dead Boy! I know what you're up to!" Xander threw a water balloon at Angel, triumph written all over his face.  
As the water balloon hit Angel in the back, he gasped. And then froze. The balloon was filled with holy water, but it no longer had an effect.  
"What happened? I told Willow specifically, Holy water, not tap water! Xander held up his cross, looking at Angel with interest.  
"Xander! What are you doing?"   
"Saving you! What does it look like?"  
"Angel is human now. For some reason, Angelus has 72 hours to loose Angel's soul. Right now, Angel's in control. So would you stop acting like such an ass hole?"   
"Are you sure? What if Angelus is just pretending to be Angel?"  
"Come feel his skin. He's warm." Buffy glared at Xander. "Will you put that away!" Xander tucked the cross into his pocket sheepishly.  
"Sorry Dead Boy. Oh. Wait, you're not dead. Guess I'll have to think of something else to call you."   
Willow, Giles, Spike, and Tara ran into the room. "Where is he? Buffy? What are you doing?" Willow screamed at Buffy, who was in a tank top and boxers, sitting on Angel's lap.  
Buffy sighed. "What does it look like?"   
"But... but we thought you were Slayer-napped!" Willow stood there helplessly, trying not to look in Giles' direction, knowing he'd be upset.  
"It's a long story." Buffy smiled. "And I don't feel like talking about it. Um, could you guys leave now?" Buffy looked at Angel, who nodded to the Gang.   
"Yes. Sorry for the interruption, Buff." Xander walked out, dragging Spike, who was laughing so hard Buffy was sure he was going to give himself a heart attack.   
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Buffy? You do remember what happened last time." Giles asked, trying not to embarrass either party.  
"Giles, Angel is human now. And before Angelus comes back, I just want to spend some time with him, ok?" Giles nodded, knowing he'd get a better explanation later. Giles, Tara, and Willow walked out of the bedroom, the puzzled looks never leaving their faces.   



	3. Default Chapter Title

Willow dropped the metal server, mouth frozen open in a perpetual state of shock. The inside of the cake oozed with what had to have been blood. A small piece of metal was stuck to the top of the cake with icing. A card still lay unopened in the box. Buffy just stared down at her birthday cake in horror. She grabbed the card, tearing it open. Willow calmed down enough to throw the cake into the plastic garbage bin, and rinse the reddened cake server off, leaving it in the sink.   
Buffy shook with anger, showing Willow the card. "Hope you have a birthday to die for, Slayer. Love, Spike." Blood red ink signed the card, and Spike's mind chip was also on it, a warning to Buffy of what he could now do.   
"Buffy, if I knew, I would've-" Will felt sorry for Buffy. Ever since 17, her birthdays had a major downhill slide effect.   
Buffy smiled weakly and put a hand on her best friends' shoulder. "It's ok, Will. I know it wasn't your fault. I'm lucky it didn't explode, or something." A knock on the door shocked both of them, and Willow ran to answer it.  
"Oh, hi Riley. Come in."  
"Is Buffy here?" Willow nodded, and led the blonde fish boy into the dining room.   
"Hi Buffy. Where's your cake?" Riley looked around, and smiled at Buffy.   
"Um, we tossed it. It wasn't a good one." Buffy shook her head at Willow, signaling her to keep quiet.   
Riley looked back at the redhead, who had a puzzled expression at Buffy's lack of truth. Her face quickly melted into an innocent smile as Riley looked at her again. "Could you leave us for a second, please? I need to talk to Buffy."  
"Uh, yeah. Sorry." Willow left the dorm room, hoping Riley wouldn't do anything stupid. Buffy had been complaining about him for weeks.   
Riley kneeled in front of Buffy, taking her hand. "Buffy, would you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Riley Finn?" Buffy looked at him, and at the ring he held, and started to cry.   
Riley smiled, thinking he was finally going to be the luckiest man alive, but Buffy had other ideas. She wasn't crying out of happiness, only grief. She pulled back her hand, and leapt off the chair, running out of the room, pat Willow's stunned face in the hall, and out of the dorm.   
Willow poked her head into the room. "Riley? What did you do to her, you big idiot? Can't you tell that she hates her birthday?" Willow pummeled the idiot with her balled up fists, yelling insults and pushing him out the door.   
Buffy ran. She wasn't sure where she was going. The tears had stopped almost as soon as she was away from Riley. She wondered as she ran, what she ever saw in that pathetic excuse for a human being. Stopping in the graveyard, she pulled her knees to her heaving chest, and wrapped her arms around them, letting her head rest on them. She cried a little, and listened to the sound of the wind blowing in the trees. She calmed down considerably, and leaned back against a large headstone, falling into a dreamless sleep.   
The sun was setting, and it was safe for vampires to come out. Angel had left Cordelia with Willow and Xander, which proved to be bad idea by the sound of arguing voices. Willow hadn't seen Buffy since she ran out, she had told the two visitors. Angel tried not to laugh at the picture of Riley asking Buffy to marry him. He also wasn't sure what had set her off, but he was worried. Angel also had an idea of where she was. The vampire headed to the cemetery.  
Buffy was slouched against a headstone, and looked asleep. Spike leered at her form from the darkness, unsure of whether to feed or not. He looked around; sensing this might be a trap. Slowly, he walked to her. She didn't move, only to stir slightly, and call out a name. She grimaced as he heard it. Spike talked to himself, giddy at the chance to finally rid himself of the slayer who haunted him.   
"Still dreaming about Peaches, Pet? Lovely way to treat that limp noodle you have as a boyfriend, don't you think?" He crouched over her, and moved her hair aside.   
He vamped out, and was about to take the first bite when a violent kick to the ribs stopped him, throwing him to the side. Angel grabbed Spike by the hair. "What happened to your chip?" He asked the miserably squirming vampire.  
"I got it removed, like any sensible soulless creature would do. What are you doing here? Or do I need to ask?" Spike asked, smiling evilly at Buffy.  
Angel silently cursed himself for not bringing a stake. He threw Spike, who landed on the ground hard. "Get out of here. Don't even think about touching her again. I will hunt you down." Spike laughed.   
"Wouldn't that be a job for her little man?" Spike leered at Angel, taunting him.  
Angel glared at him with yellowed eyes. His face changed back as he looked down at Buffy, trying to decide whether to wake her, or just carry her back. She sat up, blinking. "What?" She looked up at Angel.   
"Oh. I'm dreaming again." She lifted her arms up, like she wanted to be carried.   
Angel looked at her, wondering what she was talking about. "Go ahead, sweep me off my feet like you always do. I wonder what I was thinking about before I went to sleep that makes this dream so different from the others. I remember. Riley. No wonder. Now you're acting like the real Angel, just standing there, hiding in the shadows, waiting to protect me, but not telling me that you are doing it. As always, the silent hero. I wish I would wake up already. This isn't half as fun as even the last one." Angel tried to keep his calm demeanor.  
"You're awake, Buffy. Don't you remember falling asleep in the graveyard after uh, Riley's proposal?" Angel took her hand to help her up.  
Buffy blushed, her entire face nearly lighting up. "Oh am I? Whoops. Can you forget I said that? Or just pretend it never happened? I'm like, totally embarrassed now." Buffy stood, and didn't let go of Angel's hand.   
"And could we please not talk about that little fact? I came here to forget. How am I supposed to tell him no?" Buffy looked alarmed, and the pair faced each other.   
"You're going to say no? Sorry. That's none of my business." Buffy frowned.   
"Yes it is. You're my friend, so something that would affect my life that greatly should concern you." Buffy explained, reluctantly letting go of his cool hand.  
"You've got a point. I didn't want to push you." Buffy laughed.   
"I don't think you've ever pushed anyone in your life, Angel. You're the absolute opposite of pushy. Anyway, do you think I'm stupid? Riley could help me get that normal life thing down. But I've been thinking. I'm the Slayer. I'm never going to have a normal life! I'll never hit 40, I'll never have kids, or see Haley's Comet, and I'll never be one of the old people playing bridge outside of the nursing home. I won't be talking about the good old days because I'll never live past them. Who am I to talk about normal? My idea of a normal day is to wake up, go to class, slay some baddies, and on a really good day, get in an hour of homework and studying. I have the weirdest life I could possibly dream up. Maybe normal isn't as attractive as I thought it was."  
"Don't say that unless you're positive. What did you do before you were the Slayer?"  
"That's hard to remember. It's been forever. I went to parties a lot. Um, I didn't study a lot, but I did get much better grades than I got in Sunnydale. I was a normal girl, I guess. I listened to music, and whined about how nothing interesting ever happened to me." Buffy looked faraway, like she was remembering her early teens, her childhood.  
"Do you want that back? To live in a nice little house, with a few kids, and your happy husband? Normal is good, Buffy. To be normal is to have everything, and worry about small things, like house payments, potty training. Even then, you'd have to risk your life daily. It won't make things easier for you. You'll just look like everyone else."  
"Normal is not all it's cracked up to be. I've had a very large taste of normal. It's bland. I'm not sure if I like this life. I know it's changed me, I so would be a different person if I didn't have to worry about vamps, demons, and other things that go bump in the night. But in a way, I'd be less interesting, too. I wouldn't have moved to Sunnydale, I wouldn't know any of you. I know what I have to do, but I don't know how to break it off with Riley."  
"Just tell him the truth. Let him know how you feel." Angel told her, as they walked back.  
"I think it'll be easier to drag his unconscious body onto a plane bound for Illinois." She looked hopefully at Angel.  
He laughed. "No, I don't think we could pull that off. But I'm here for your birthday. Cordelia insisted we come, she had a present that she told me couldn't go through the mail." Angel sighed.   
"I think I've had another lousy birthday. Why is this such a trend? What is it about this day that brings on all evil?" Buffy didn't stop to think what she was saying before it was out of her mouth.  
"Um, I mean, you know what I mean. Not that! Just everything after. Oh Lord this isn't coming out the way I'm trying to make it. Open mouth, insert foot. I'll just be quiet and stew in my embarrassment, ok?" Buffy smiled, trying to cover her blunder.  
"That's ok. My ego isn't too bruised."   
"I tried to tell you, it wasn't that. You're better than- Oops. What is wrong with me today?" Buffy put her hand on her forehead.   
"I'm suddenly feeling the beginnings of an extremely bad headache. I think it's this whole marriage thing. It scared me. I don't want to be married; it's too early! I am 20 now, but still. Can you seriously picture me married? I'm going to die single, just like I worried about in 10th grade." She shook her head.  
"You never know." Angel said cryptically.   
"What do you mean by that?" Buffy was still trying to recover from her earlier stumbling.  
"Only that sometimes, things work out. Things will work out for you, Buffy. You're a good person. Maybe even next year, things will be looking better, and you'll have the best birthday you've ever had."  
"Then again, maybe I'll be six-feet under." Buffy said gloomily.  
"Don't talk like that." Angel tried to keep from snapping, and Buffy sighed again, opening the door.  
"Tell me Riley isn't here. And if he is, could you do me a huge favor?"   
"I think I owe you a favor. He's been waiting around, but Willow made him stay outside the dorm room."  
"Good. Now when I do this, you have to back me up and just go for it, ok? Promise?" Buffy looked like she was going to puke.   
"I promise. You're not going to do anything dumb, are you Buffy?" Angel looked at her, puzzled.   
"Shh. We're here. You promised!" She warned.   
Taking a shaky breath, Buffy pushed Angel in front of her, and without taking a glance in the door's direction, she pulled Angel down and kissed him. It took Angel a second to react, totally stunned by what Buffy was trying to do.  
It wasn't long before Riley stormed over, tapping Angel on the shoulder of his black duster. Angel released Buffy slowly, turning to face the short commando. "What do you think you're doing? I saw you practically attack Buffy. She's going to marry me, ok punk? I'm the one she loves now, so get over it. You left her, remember." It took Angel a lot of patience not to flinch at that last statement.   
"Listen, boy. I don't know what you think you've got with Buffy, but she can make her own choices."  
"Riley! I kissed him, ok? Not the other way around. Just leave me alone. I'm sorry, but I don't love you."  
"So you love this creep again? Buffy, you told me you didn't love him anymore. You looked in my eyes and said it was over. Why the sudden change of heart?"  
"I guess I realized that I don't want to marry you. If I loved you, I would at least be able to picture it happening some day. But I can't. It's over."  
"So you can marry the vampire? Buffy get real. He'd have to have it at night, for crying out loud. Am I rushing you? We can take things slow. It'll be ok."  
"She told you it was over. You can leave now." Angel told him.  
"I'll never take orders from you. You stole my girlfriend! I don't know how, but you did. I'll have her again, you just wait."  
"You never had me, Riley. You never will. Just go away." Buffy walked into the apartment, pulling Angel in behind her, leaving Riley to go home and cry to his cows.  
"What was that about? I almost gave it away. You should've told me to kiss you. That would've made it easier."  
"If I told you, you would've run the other direction. Besides, some things are better as a surprise."  
"I agree. But that would've been one of the exceptions. At least you could've given me a little heads up."  
"Yeah, yeah, quit your whining. I want a birthday party. Why don't you ever visit me anymore?"  
"Wow, that was a quick change of topic. There's the hostility, for one thing. And you know it's hard for me to stand here and talk to you, but not be able to-"  
"Yeah. I just miss you, I guess. You could call. But I was a little hostile." At his reproachful look, she laughed. "Ok, a lot hostile. But you would be, too. Now come with me. Willow, we're going to Dairy Queen to get a cake. Are you coming?" Buffy addressed the redhead on the bed, who was reading a spell book.  
"Nope. Xander promised me he'd visit and study with me. Anya is not part of the package. Talk to you guys later! Have fun." Willow buried her nose back into the book, and Angel and Buffy took off, laughing.  
If someone had told Buffy that on her 20th birthday she'd be sitting in a booth at Dairy Queen talking to her ex-boyfriend, she would've done one of two things: in a good mood, she would've laughed it off. In a bad one, she would've walked around for the rest of her life convinced that she was cursed. Somehow, though, this night had turned out to be fun. Angel had loosened up a bit, and actually laughed, joining in Buffy's joking mood. On the way home, Buffy carried the box with the half eaten cake, thinking to her self that she was never going to forget this day, as long as she lived.   
"Did you hear me, Buffy?" Buffy shook her head and laughed.   
"What? No. I was busy thinking about how I should probably have this cake bronzed, or something." Angel laughed, turning into a parking space out in front of Buffy's dorm.  
"I just want to remember this as my first birthday out of the slump. It started out pretty rough, but it ended well. And that is what makes it count. Here we are, two people practically a modern day Romeo and Juliet, who have major issues about even being in the same room. We came together today, and now look at us. We're acting just like old times. No hostility, no cool indifference. We could be arguing about so many things." Buffy's eyes stared out at the blank windshield.   
"Like why it's best we're apart?" Angel supplied.  
"Or how we shouldn't make decisions for each other. But we aren't." She pointed out.  
"No. This has been a good day for us. The first of many." Angel promised, smiling.   
"Sounds good to me. Now all we have to deal with is that enormous amount of-" She paused as Angel opened the door for her and she climbed out which was not an easy task with a cake box in hand. "Sexual tension that was mentioned earlier."   
Angel met her eyes a little warily. Buffy felt pulled in by his dark eyes, and before she could react in any way, he bent slowly, and kissed her. Buffy dropped the cake box, and wrapped her arms around Angel's neck. Willow smiled from the window. Xander peeked out from behind her shoulder.   
"Hey, is that-"  
"Yes. Isn't it sweet?" Xander made a disgusted sound.   
"They keep that up, and Angelus will be knocking before I have time to faint in mad panic." Willow couldn't help but grin again, and close the shades. People needed their privacy, after all.  
  



End file.
